1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an opening/closing cover mechanism for opening or closing an accommodation chamber, in which objects such as a battery and a memory card are housed, in an electronic apparatus such as a digital camera.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, in a digital camera, as shown in FIG. 17, an accommodation chamber 95 for a battery 97 and an accommodation chamber 96 for a memory card 98 are formed in a rectangular housing 9, and further, an opening/closing cover 91 for opening or closing the accommodation chambers 95 and 96 is disposed in a manner openable through a slidable hinge 92.
When the opening/closing cover 91 slides in the state in which the opening/closing cover 91 is closed, an engagement hook 93 projecting from the tip end of the opening/closing cover 91 is hooked on an engagement receiving portion 94 disposed at opening edges of the accommodation chambers 95 and 96 in the housing 9, so that the opening/closing cover 91 is locked at a closure position. Here, the opening/closing cover 91 is elastically biased by a spring (not shown) from the closure position toward an opening direction, as required.
In the conventional opening/closing cover mechanism, a clearance (of, e.g., about 0.5 mm) for smoothly opening or closing the opening/closing cover 91 is formed between the opening edges of the accommodation chambers 95 and 96 formed in the housing 9 and an outer peripheral edge portion of the opening/closing cover 91 at the closure position. Further, an axial play for permitting the opening/closing cover 91 to be moved along a hinge axis within the range of the clearance is given to the hinge 92 in the opening/closing cover 91.
With the opening/closing cover mechanism, even in a situation in which a side edge of the opening/closing cover 91 is scratched by the opening edge of the housing 9 in a process in which the opening/closing cover 91 is opened from the closure position, the opening/closing cover 91 is moved in an axial direction, thereby avoiding such a situation, whereby the opening/closing cover 91 can be opened without any scratch.
However, in the opening/closing cover mechanism, the large clearance of about 0.5 mm is defined around the opening/closing cover so as to smoothly open the opening/closing cover. Therefore, the opening/closing cover has a problem about backlash in a hinge axial direction in the closed state.